Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Best to Worst of Last Week

This was a solid week of books. I didn’t really think so going into the week, but the proof of the week is the actual quality of the books themselves and not some preset opinion on my part. It also helps that the two books I save for last were two of my favorite books for the week. Justified or not ending on a high note makes the whole week of material feel better. Criticism and opinions are so subjective and subject to so many variables that many factors are relevant in forming them.

Action #855 – This book was a pure and total joy to read and look at. Eric Powell doing Bizzaro was a perfect choice. Geoff Johns and Donner have crafted a tale that is full of adventure, humor, danger and emotion. The set-up is simple: Superman’s father is captured by Bizzaro and Superman goes to Bizzaro world to rescue his dad. The execution is superb. Enigma Cipher #2 (of 2) – Really great end to this story. Part 1 was a long time ago, but it was so well done that the story remained with me. I enjoyed the ending as it felt more like a realistic ending as opposed to something so outlandish as to make the entire story fall apart. Very well done action/thriller.Teen Titans #50 – Nice start for Sean McKeever’s run and with some pages by Wolfman/Perez and Johns/McKone thrown in, it was a great starting point to the series. I really enjoyed the interview I read with McKeever as he gets how to write comics. It is about the characters and letting them speak and not about forcing your stories on them.Wetworks #12 – Really well done story on Persephone. It made me really feel for this character and it was just a well done love story with Shakespearean overtones.Batman/Lobo #1 (of 2) – My store got this a week late. This is just pure madness and lunatic fun as done by Sam Keith. Crazy monsters, girls with big guns, Lobo and Batman teaming up in space. Keith fills his work with energy and unrestrained joyWasteland #11 - Really strong issue. I had fallen off this series a little, but this brought it back home. Really reads like a long novel and I hope that's true, because this story needs to have an end point to work. By an ending, I don’t mean the world of Wasteland, has to end, we just need end points to occur.Batman Annual #26 – Head of the Demon – Nice prelude to the return of Ras As Ghul, fills in some history on Ras. I did not like that the history could just be a fictional account, either make it continuity or don’t. Still, history is always skewed by whomever writes it.Local #10 (of 12) – Not a Megan issue, but a really emotional piece about how a young man deals with the death of a parent that he did not have a perfect relationship with.___________________________________________________American Virgin #18 – This arc has been especially interesting as we see Adam starting to really explore what sex and love means to him.Fallen Angel #19 – Really enjoyed the three part story that guest stared Shi. Peter David made me interested in Shi, told a good story and had Angel at her smarta*s b*tchy best.The Four Horsemen #1 (of 6) – Nice beginning to this new mini-series, which is labeled as a 52 Aftermath book. The dialogue by Giffen really sold me on as the Bruce Wayne / Clark Kent exchanges were well done.Conan #43 – The Rogues in the House story has been very gopod. Missed Cory Nord's art and sorry to hear he is only doing one more issue of the book. Still it seems like this book has been meandering for awhile and is now back on track.Hellboy Darkness Calls #5 (of 6) – Really getting into this book now and I just enjoy Hellboy’s attitude in facing off against overwhelming odds.30 Days of Night Eben and Stella #4 (of 4) – The ending felt so oddly perfect. After a crazed adventure where Eben and Stella end up as vampires, they have a happy ending riding off into the night together again.Countdown to Adventure #1 (of 8) – Nice start. I enjoyed catching up with Animal Man and Starfire at the Baker home. Ellen’s obvious discomfort with Starfire was amusing and very real. Adam Strange being put out to pasture on Rann was interesting and the Forerunner back-up was an decent origin for a character. Looking forward to the next issue.Fall of Cthulhu #5 – Nasty ending to this first story line. Of course as this is a Lovecraft horror themed book, little else is to be expected. I really need to go and read the source material.Bonds #1 (of 3) – Nice book and very different. Solid art and an offbeat story, involving symphony music, murders, bio-weapons and magic.Brit #1 – Fun book, but the typical ending of the lead character dying at the end of issue #1 has become older then the main character.Avengers Initiative #5 – An okay issue introducing the Black Ops team inside the Initiative. Still way too many characters, but Slott has focused on Cloud 9 and some other characters enough to keep me interested.Amazon Attacks #6 (of 6) – This series is not as bad as many people want to make it out to be. The ending was well done and the twist at the end is a portent for the DCU.Outsiders Five of a Kind Week 5 Grace / Wonder Woman – Nice character issue. I really like the Grace character and would not mind seeing a mini-series on her to fill out her back story.Fantastic Four #549 – Okay issue. I just don’t like it when we take the demure character and turn them into the most powerful member of the group. Invisible Woman’s invisible force shield is now shown as so powerful that she could defeat anyone. Now that you have ratchet her power level that high, who can’t she take out?_____________________________________________________Hunter’s Moon #3 (of 5) – Decent story, but the artwork is a little weak and for me that is hurting the overall feeling of the book.Mice Templar #1 – Way too much being crammed into what is essentially a back story to what will be the real story of the book. I’m very iffy on this book. I went in with high hopes and came out disappointed.Wonder Woman #12 – Okay issue, but a little confusing with Everyman and Nemesis switching identities every other panel.Countdown #35 – A disappointment again. The whole Mary Marvel and Zatanna story line ended with no real need for it to have ever happened. The story lines in this book seem to have no end points.WW Hulk X-Men #3 (of 3) – I should have skipped this add-on mini-series like I did with all of the other add-ons. Waste of paper.

So nothing bites the dust this week, but still it is becoming really hard to justify getting Countdown. Also I’m very anxious for Gail Simone to start writing Wonder Woman.